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Super-Easy Meal Prep With My PSP Model

As you may have noticed, I put a heavy emphasis on nutrition. Why? Because without focusing on your nutrition, your training results are probably going to be lackluster, unless you’re some sort of a genetic freak. For the rest of us who were not born with the bodies of the gods, nutrition is going to play a very key role. Like seriously…the most important role; particularly in fat loss or muscle building.

Now unfortunately, most people tend to have the most problems with the nutrition part of the equation. They often enjoy working out, or at least are relatively good at getting their workouts in. But when it comes to nutrition they get a bit lazy. And honestly, lazy is okay! You just have to recognize that you ARE in fact lazy and find some work arounds, like I do. 🙂

Clients and acquaintances are often asking me for advice on nutrition, and of course, I’m always happy to advise! My advice is to always focus on the “big rocks.” But what exactly are those? Let’s discuss…

There’s generally 3 steps I tend to follow when planning my own diet, and I’m at a point where these are just habits. I don’t have to think about them too much anymore. But when you’re just starting out it may require much more thought, just not for long.

In lieu of simplicity, I have developed a little acronym to help you remember the 3 steps I like to follow. The acronym is PSP; Plan, Shop, and Prepare. So now let’s go over exactly what those all mean!

Plan:Step 1 is to plan. You absolutely have to have a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail, right? And we don’t want to fail when we have big goals for ourselves! So this is the most important step. Decide what you’re going to eat for every meal, every day, and write it down. What sources of proteins, carbs, and fats do you need? What extras do you need to make those things tasty? Plan it out, meal by meal.

Shop:Step 2 is to shop. Once you have a plan, make a shopping list and hit the grocery store. Stick to the list. Don’t get a bunch of extras. It’s very rare when I pick up something that is not on my list and probably considered “unhealthy.” So try not to be tempted by all the extras at the store. If it’s in the house you’ll be more tempted to eat it (chips and ice cream can often be my downfall). So stick to the plan and stick to your list! Want a sample of what I buy on a regular basis? Well, I will be sending out a sample of my weekly shopping list to all of my e-mail subscribers this week. If you’re interested in seeing what I buy regularly or if you need help setting up your own shopping list, you can subscribe here by clicking on this link—> Send me your shopping list!

Prepare: Step 3 is to do some prep work. This is FREAKING IMPORTANT! Like Big. Time. So pay attention.

Right when I get home from the grocery store and after I’ve put mostly everything away, I throw my berries in a colander and start rinsing them off and preparing them for snacking throughout the week. I’ll also start rinsing and chopping any veggies that I use for snacking or for adding to eggs or other dishes throughout the week. At some point early in the week and shortly after shopping, you want to start cooking a butt-load of food, or at least prepare it to be cooked (chopping, seasoning). Anything you can do in advance to help keep you from wavering from your diet plan is going to be key. Make it easy for yourself! A little bit of extra prep work on the front end will make sticking to your diet much easier as you’ll be less likely to veer off course and order take-out or something. I’ll often buy pre-seasoned fish, pre-chopped veggies, and pre-washed salad mixes because I know myself. If I have to do too much work to prepare it, I might not do it at all. So KNOW YOURSELF! Sometimes spending a little more to buy food that has already been prepped for you is totally worth it.

I like to cook a lot of meat at once several times during the week. For example, when I grill chicken I will cook a couple pounds of it and use some of it for lunches for my husband and I, and add it to different meals, like salads.

The next thing I would like to mention is not exactly a step, but something to keep in mind. I often like to keep my foods and prep work….

Same, Sane, and Simple

What do I mean by “same?” Well, out of ease and simplicity, most of my meals during the week are the same from day to day. I don’t feel the need to get too creative. Sure, I might swap out one fruit for another, or one meat for another. But in general, I use the same model for my meals every day.

Also, my recommendation is to keep your meals relatively simple. If it’s going to take you 30 minutes to an hour to prepare every meal, you’re going to throw in the towel real quick. That might be fine for dinner every night, if you’re into that… But for breakfast? Hell no. Keep it quick and simple so that you’re not likely to blow it off and stop by McDonald’s on your way to work. Go ahead and feel free to use spices, marinades, and other yummy things to kick the taste up a notch, but every meal does not need to be Food Network quality. Yah mean? Oh, and by the way, if you’re eating “clean” and tend to avoid processed food, don’t be afraid to use salt, especially if you drink a lot of water.

Just about every day I have a protein shake and a protein bar (at separate meals, obvs), and this is just because they’re yummy AND they’re quick! No thought required! But they’re great for filling in those protein gaps.

And finally, by “sane,” I mean don’t cut foods out just because some ‘rando,’ new trendy diet says so. If you like dairy and it agrees with your body, eat it. If you like wheat products and they agree with your body, eat ’em. If you want to go hard during the week but then have a couple slices of pizza on the weekend, go for it. Life’s short, baby. Eating “healthy” doesn’t have to be so hard. Even swapping not-so-healthy things out with slightly “healthIER” things can make an overall difference.

Hope that was a little helpful! Again, if you’re interested in more details on how to shop or structure your meals, sign up here for my e-mails! —>Send me your shopping list!